![Graduates toss their caps in celebration at the Ghent University Global Campus 2026 graduation ceremony held Friday. [Ghent University Global Campus]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/21/news-p.v1.20260821.2a56080a4ceb43b7916a6b66e8bac2ab_P1.jpg)
Ghent University Global Campus graduated 56 students this year, continuing its track record of producing science and biotech talent for the global stage.
The campus held its 2026 graduation and matriculation ceremony Friday at the main auditorium of Incheon Global Campus, celebrating the departing class as they begin the next chapter of their careers.
About 500 people attended, including Ghent University Rector Petra De Sutter, Michiel Clemans, deputy chief of mission at the Belgian Embassy in Korea, and Byeon Ju-young, chief executive of the Incheon Global Campus Operating Foundation, along with students, parents and faculty.
This year's graduating class comprised 42 students in molecular biotechnology, five in environmental technology and nine in food technology, for a total of 56.
The graduates completed a globally oriented curriculum — 240 credits, all instruction in English, a semester at the main campus in Belgium during their fourth year, and a mandatory internship — and received European bachelor of science degrees.
A significant number of graduates are heading to overseas graduate programs in the life sciences and biotech fields, or to medical and pharmacy schools, while others are joining global companies — a sign, observers say, of the campus's strong academic standing.
Rector De Sutter urged graduates to cultivate sound judgment and a sense of responsibility alongside scientific and technological advances, and called on them to sustain their curiosity throughout their careers.
Ghent University Global Campus President Han Tae-jun encouraged students on their achievements, saying graduation is "not only a reflection of what you have learned, but a moment to look back on who you have become."
The ceremony also included a keynote address by an incoming student representative and a badge presentation for the new class.
A total of 225 students enrolled across the spring and fall semesters this year, filling 100 percent of available spots.
The full enrollment reflects consistently strong student interest in the campus's globally focused programs in life sciences, biotech, environmental studies and food technology.
The ceremony proceeded from a faculty procession through welcome remarks, congratulatory speeches, an academic report and the conferral of degrees, followed by addresses from graduating and incoming student representatives. Singer Gummy capped the event with a congratulatory performance, adding to the celebratory atmosphere.
Ghent University Global Campus is an overseas campus of Belgium's Ghent University, a globally recognized research institution in the life sciences and biotech fields. It opened in Songdo, Incheon in 2014.
As the only European university campus in South Korea, it trains internationally minded science professionals through English-medium instruction and programs linked to the main campus in Belgium.
Ghent University Global Campus is set to begin recruiting students for the 2027 academic year in September.
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
